George Francis Savage-Armstrong
George Francis Savage-Armstrong (5 May 1845 - 24 July 1906) was an Irish poet and academic. Life Savage-Armstrong was born George Francis Armstrong at Rathfarnham, co. Dublin, the 3rd son of Edmund John Armstrong of Wicklow and Dublin and Jane, daughter of the Rev. Henry Savage of Glastry, co. Down. Edmund John Armstrong, also a poet, was his elder brother.O'Donoghue, 272. After some early education in Jersey, he made a walking tour in France with his brother Edmund in 1862, and in later years he tramped through many other continental countries. He matriculated at Trinity College, Dublin, in 1862, and earned a B.A. in 1869. In 1869 he published his first volume of verse, Poems Lyrical and Dramatic (2nd edit, 1872), and in the following year Ugone: A tragedy (2nd edition, 1872), a work largely written in Italy. In 1870 he was appointed professor of history and English literature in Queen's College, Cork. In 1872 he issued King Saul, the first part of his 'Tragedy of Israel.' King David and King Solomon, the second and third parts of his trilogy, followed in 1874 and 1876, and in 1877 he brought out an edition of his brother's Poems, following it up with a collection of that writer's Essays and Life and Letters. In 1879 he married Marie Elizabeth, daughter of John Wrixon, M.A., vicar of Malone, co. Antrim, who survived him, and by whom he had 2 sons and a daughter.O'Donoghue, 273. A journey to Greece and Italy in 1881 led to the publication of his verses entitled Garland from Greece (1882). In 1892 the board of Trinity College commissioned him to write the tercentenary ode, which was set to music by Sir Robert Prescott Stewart and performed with success during the tercentenary celebrations of the summer of 1892. In 1891, on the death of a maternal aunt, Armstrong assumed the additional surname of Savage. He continued his duties as professor at Cork and as examiner at the Royal University in Dublin until 1905, when he retired. He died on 24 July 1906 at Strangford House, Strangford, co. Down. Writing Savage-Armstrong, who in fertility stands almost alone among Irish poets, continued publishing verse till near his death. His latest work was for the most part his best. He wrote of nature with fresh enthusiasm if in stately diction, and also showed philosophic faculty with command of passion. He has none of the Celtic mysticism of the later Irish school. His mature power is seen to special advantage in his Stories of Wicklow (1886), One in the Infinite, a philosophical sequence in verse (1892), and Ballads of Down (1901). His other works were: 1. 'Victoria Regina et Imperatrix: a Jubilee Song from Ireland,' 1887. 2. 'Mephistopheles in Broadcloth: a Satire in Verse,' 1888. 3. 'Queen-Empress and Empire,' 1897, a loyal tribute in alliterative verse. 4. ’The Crowning of the King,' 1902. A laborious genealogical work, 'The Noble Family of the Savages o' the Ards,' appeared in 1888. His work was later attacked by William Butler Yeats, who alleged that Savage " had ‘cut himself off from the life of the nation" and that "his knowledge of Irish things was of the most obsolete kind."Rosemary Raughter, George Francis Savage-Armstrong, Our Wicklow Heritage, County Wicklow Heritage Plan. Web, Mar. 1, 2017. Recognition At Trinity College he won the vice-chancellor's prize for an English poem on Circassia. The honorary degree of M.A. was conferred upon him by Trinity College in 1872, He was made a fellow of the Royal University in 1881, and in 1891 received the honorary degree of D.Litt. from the Queen's University. Publications Poetry *''Poems: Lyrical and dramatic. 1869; London: Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1873. *Victoria, Regina et Impertatrix: A jubilee song from Ireland. London: Longmans, Green, 1887. *''Mephistopheles in Broadcloth: A satire in verse. London: Longmans, Green, 1888. *''One in the Infinite. London: Longmans, Green, 1891. *''A Garland from Greece. London: Longmans, Green, 1892. *''Queen-Empress and Empire, 1837-1897. Belfast: Marcus Ward, 1897. *Ballads of Down. London & New York: Longmans, Green, 1901. *''Poems: National and international. Dublin: E. Ponsonby, 1917. Play *''Ugone: A tragedy''. London: Edward Moxon, 1870; London & New York: Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1873. *''The Tragedy of Israel: King Saul. London: Longmans, 1872. *The Tragedy of Israel: King David. London & New York: Longmans, Green, Reader, & Dyer, 1874. *''The Tragedy of Israel (complete). London, Longmans, Green, Reader, and Dyer, 1876; . London & New York: Longmans, Green, 1892. Non-fiction *''The Ancient and Noble Family of the Savages of the Ards. London & New York: M. Ward, 1888. *''A Genealogical History of the Savage Family in Ulster. London: privately published at the Chiswick Press, 1906. Edited *Edmung J. Armstrong, Poetical Works. London: Longmans, Green, 1877. *Edmund J. Armstrong, Essays and Sketches. London: Longmans, Green, 1877. *Edmung J. Armstrong, Life and Letters. London: Longmans, Green, 1877. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:George Francis Savage Armstrong, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Mar. 1, 2017. See also *List of Irish poets References * . Wikisource, Web, Mar. 1, 2017. Notes External links ;Poems *Savage-Armstrong in A Victorian Anthology, 1837-1895: "Autumn Memories," "The Mystery," "One in the Infinite," "My Guide," "The Father" ;About *George Francis Savage-Armstrong at Our Wicklow Heritage * Savage-Armstrong, George Francis Category:1845 births Category:1906 deaths Category:19th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Irish academics Category:Irish poets Category:People from County Dublin Category:Poets